ABSTRACT
Extant research has established associations among adverse childhood experiences, mental health and deviant behaviour, yet the pathways through which adverse childhood experiences exert their effects through social-relational mechanisms remain insufficiently explored. Based on data from 1004 adolescents in Jilin Province, this study investigated whether social exclusion mediates the associations between adverse childhood experiences and psychological well-being and deviant behaviour, and whether these associations differ by gender. Results indicated that adverse childhood experiences have a direct positive effect on adolescents’ deviant behaviour, whereas the direct effect on psychological well-being is not significant. Social exclusion plays a partial mediating role in the relationship between adverse childhood experiences and adolescent deviant behaviour, and a full mediating role in the link between adverse childhood experiences and adolescents’ psychological well-being. Group-difference analyses revealed that the impact of adverse childhood experiences on social exclusion is more pronounced among females, whereas the influence of social exclusion on psychological well-being is more significant among males. The findings illuminate the mechanism whereby early family adversity undermines adolescent psychosocial outcomes through peer relationships, underscoring the importance of social work interventions addressing social exclusion and gender-specific differences.